Many were skeptical when Jasprit Bumrah was named in India’s Test squad for the 2018 tour. Six years later, Bumrah attained the no.1 Test rankings becoming the only bowler to claim the top spot in ICC rankings across formats. While Bumrah was branded as a white-ball pacer considering his bowling style in limited-overs cricket, then head coach Ravi Shastri saw a potent weapon in him that he meant to unleash on pace-friendly bouncy pitches of South Africa.
In an interview with former England captain Michael Atherton for 'The Times', Shastri recalled his conversation when he first got to know about Bumrah's Test ambitions.
"I remember my first call to him, it was in Kolkata. I asked him would he be interested in Test cricket. He said that would be the biggest day of his life," Shastri recalled.
"He was labelled as a white-ball cricketer without asking him. But I knew. I wanted to see how hungry he was. I told him to get ready, be prepared. I told him I was going to unleash him in South Africa."
Bumrah's Test debut
Bumrah repaid Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli's faith in him. After a nervy start in the first innings, Bumrah picked up three wickets in the second innings to bowl out South Africa for 130. However, the performance ended up in a losing cause.
In the third Test of the series at Johannesburg, Bumrah registered his maiden five-wicket haul in the format. India went on to win the match by 63 runs.
Bumrah's Test numbers
Since then Bumrah has 155 wickets from 34 Tests including 10 five-fors. His bowling average of 20.19 is only second to English pacer Sydney Barnes for pacers with more than 150 Test wickets.
Shastri also said that Bumrah was excited to be part of Kohli's Test team. He opined that Test cricket numbers are something a player is remembered for.
"He was desperate to play Test cricket with Virat Kohli. They know, at the end of the day, no one remembers white ball averages. They will always remember your numbers in Test cricket," the 61-year-old said.
In the ongoing Test series against England where spinners have dominated, Bumrah has taken 15 wickets already including a six-wicket haul in the Vizag Test. He will be seen in action when India take on England in the third Test at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot starting February 15.
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